Now open to the public for dinner as well as weddings and other events, The Reading Country Club is drawing in crowds. It’s no wonder: With the highly experienced Chef Noli in charge of the Castle Grille and banquet kitchen, and with a friendly, attentive wait staff, lunches and dinners are sumptuous, punctual and every bit as elegant as the spacious setting with those sloping lawns and well-tended trees. From soup to cake, this dining experience is all about you and your party.
The menu’s variety makes this a particularly inviting restaurant experience. There are courses to suit every palate, with a classy culinary approach that still delivers down-home appeal. To start, try the Loaded Baked Potato Soup, their “house soup.” It’s lovely, luscious and filled with small potato chunks and just enough bacon, a perfect start. Best of all, Chef has used culinary mojo to avoid the usual pitfalls of loaded soup: it’s never overly salty, but allows true spud flavor to suffuse throughout.
Consider ordering Crispy Calamari as an appetizer with wine or a microbrew. You’ll receive an attractive platter of golden round, ringed calamari, very lightly breaded, perfectly fried for munching, and served with a dipping bowl of homemade marinara, a deliciously rich, pure tomato sauce – sweet, tart and thick.
For brides and grooms, the range of appetizers is impressive — everything from more traditional wedding fare like Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp and Hearth Baked Bruschetta to Asian Pot Stickers and Lollipop Lamb Chops.
The salads are truly tough to choose from. The list includes Filet Steak Salad made with gorgonzola; an Asian spin on Pacific Salmon, with greens, mandarin oranges and toasted almonds; traditional Cobb Salad; premier Seared Ahi Tuna; and a Crispy Chicken Salad. The Apple Fandango is kingly, combining hearty protein from herbed, grilled chicken breast slices with a bed of crispy mixed greens, plus tart and crunchy Granny Smiths, red onions and pecans. Bleu cheese, cranberries and a raspberry vinaigrette scattered throughout ensure that each forkful delivers an amalgam of textures and fresh, fruity, healthy flavors. Tip: Select a “small” portion if you’ve got an entrée coming.
On to the Entrees
The Chicken Marsala sings over long loops of linguini. The smooth, divinely deep, reddish-brown, marsala-crafted coating contains muted mushroom notes; the carefully sautéed mushrooms, generously present throughout, fuse well with the succulent chicken morsels. As with every meal at The Reading County Club, there is no skimping. No less than three large chicken planks lie on top of the pasta. Strikingly green watercress provides the final kick — a crisp taste and a crisp texture — and brings out the aromatic sauce.
While there are plenty of seafood options, including lobster and scallops, one dish to savor is Chef Noli’s rendition of Pan-Seared Salmon. It’s a thick, pink filet served with crabmeat in a butternut squash sauce. With a hard, crisped edge on top, topped by a silken, golden gravy, the fish is a beautiful combination of soft-firm, meaty textures. Wavy mashed potatoes and a portion of long, skinny, al dente green beans (or asparagus) accompany the entrée; the beans are crispy and buttery, with toasted almonds lending nutty tones to the veggies.
Steak lovers will enjoy Fridays, when steak is on special. As an entrée for dinner, or a selection for an unforgettable wedding feast, the Center-Cut Black Angus Filet Mignon is done to the diner’s perfection. So tender, the just-pink, juicy meat practically slices with a fork; its charbroiled stripes are adorned with two of whatever you crave most — sautéed onions or mushrooms, melted gorgonzola cheese, onion rings or demi wine sauce. For side dishes, garlic mashed potatoes and sweet shoepeg corn kernels join the feast for a Sunday dinner effect.
Meet the Chef
When he has time, Chef Noli makes the rounds, asking diners if they’re happy. Receiving his culinary training in his home country of the Philippines, the determined cook made his way to the United States working on the Holland Line, where he says, laughing, that he made his mark as “one of the smallest, loudest, shortest chefs!” Having met his wife on a cruise ship, the pair eventually settled in Berks County, where they are bringing up their children. Noli is a U.S. citizen now. He easily puts in 70+ hours a week. He maintains that his highest cause is to please the customers — “especially the Berks Countians — I try to know what they like.” His parting words: “You’ll want peach cobbler for dessert!”
He is right. On a cold winter night, there may be no better way to punctuate the ending of a satisfying meal than with a cup of coffee and a warm bowl of cobbler. Chef Noli makes this dessert the old-timey way: yellow-pink peach slices are wrapped in a gooey, richly brown-sugary coating with nuts and topped with whipped cream.
by Marian Frances Wolbers | photos by HEIDI REUTER
